Will Pipes Freeze in Crawford County, PA? 52 nights a Year
Freeze nights in Crawford County
In a normal year Crawford County, PA gets 52 nights at or below 20°F, the point where bare pipes in a garage, attic or outside wall start to freeze. That is more than 66% of US counties.
Risk level: Severe. The risk season runs November to April, worst in January.
It depends where the pipe is
| Pipe | Freezes near | Nights a year |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor spigot, open crawlspace | 32°F | 130 nights |
| Bare pipe in garage, attic or outside wall | 20°F | 52 nights |
| Insulated pipe in unheated space | 10°F | 19 nights |
| Inside the heated house | 0°F | 5 nights |
Foam-sleeving a bare pipe in unheated space takes it from 52 nights of risk to 19 nights. A 12 ft heat-tape kit runs $17 to $37; an average burst-pipe repair is about $500.
Month by month
Nights at or below 20°F in a normal year.
First 32°F night is usually around 10/23, last around 04/30. For 20°F: 11/26 to 03/27.
How cold Crawford County nights get
Average winter (Dec-Feb) low: 20°F; the coldest month, January, averages 18°F overnight. 8 months normally bring at least one night below 32°F (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Oct, Nov, Dec). Nights below 10°F, cold enough to freeze insulated pipe in an unheated space, come in January, February, March, December: 19 nights a year, and 5 nights below zero.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18°F | 18°F | 26°F | 37°F | 47°F | 56°F | 60°F | 59°F | 52°F | 42°F | 33°F | 24°F |
Crawford County next to its neighbours
Venango County, PA, 43 km southeast, gets 58 nights below 20°F to Crawford County's 52 nights. Erie County, PA, 48 km north, gets 41 nights.
| County | Distance | Below 32°F | Below 20°F | Jan low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford County, PA | - | 130 nights | 52 nights | 18°F |
| Venango County, PA | 43 km southeast | 146 nights | 58 nights | 18°F |
| Mercer County, PA | 45 km south | 156 nights | 67 nights | 16°F |
| Erie County, PA | 48 km north | 113 nights | 41 nights | 21°F |
| Ashtabula County, OH | 58 km northwest | 132 nights | 51 nights | 18°F |
| Warren County, PA | 69 km east | 165 nights | 73 nights | 14°F |
| Trumbull County, OH | 70 km southwest | 133 nights | 47 nights | 18°F |
Crawford County within PA
Crawford County ranks 33 of 67 PA counties for nights below 20°F. The most is Susquehanna County, PA at 80 nights, with a 15°F average winter low. The fewest is Delaware County, PA: 15 nights, winter lows near 28°F. At 1,270 ft, Crawford County sits 129 ft above the state's median county elevation of 1,141 ft.
What to do here
- Treat it as a building fix, not a night-of routine: insulate, heat tape, seal crawlspace vents.
- An automatic leak shutoff pays for itself if one burst is avoided.
- Know where the main shutoff is before the first hard freeze.
The dates to be done by: when freeze season starts and ends.
Where this comes from
NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, blended from 3 nearby stations and adjusted for elevation; closest is Port Meadville Airport, PA, 11 km away (close match). A normal year, not tonight's forecast: check the forecast low for the night itself. Why elevation is part of the blend: how county numbers are made.